John's Blog

I've considered the option that I'm certifiably looney many times in the past. I'm the kind of person who hears about a new disease on TV and is suddenly convinced that I've got it, When the Flesh-eating Disease hit a few years ago, I was completely convinced I had that. I'm still half convinced that I've got Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. Who wants gum? Oh, as I was saying, there have been numerous visits to see the doctor, where I've escalated an ache or a pain into a major disease. But as she tells me, every medical student thinks that they have every disease they study. I leave the office with that reassurance (as well as a rekindling of the crush I have on her). Both go away with time. Then I discover some new medical nugget, and the process starts again.

Two things happened yesterday that make me think I must be crazy. First, I stumble upon something I didn't know about OCD: "Another possible cause has been seen in children who develop OCD following a particular type of streptococcal bacteria infection, sometimes following rheumatic fever. It appears that antibodies directed against the infection mistakenly attack a region of the brain, trigger an inflammatory reaction, and result in an abrupt development or exacerbation of OCD symptoms." This is pretty much my medical history, and it would explain so much! (Not that I'm at a full-blown OCD level, but I read the symptoms and think "could be". I have to keep reminding myself: Flesh-eating Disease!)

The second is that I chose to wait until the hottest day of the year (so far) to plunge into an outdoor project in the yard, with the sun beating down on me the entire time. After becoming fully drenched in sweat, we made the decision to make this a multi-day project. What was I thinking when I thought this would be a good day to tackle this project, which turned into a tougher job than I had anticipated? Here's hoping for a cloudy day soon so I can finish this bear off!